About USC Gould

USC Gould is a top-ranked law school with a 115-year history and reputation for academic excellence. We are located on the beautiful 228-acre USC University Park Campus, just south of downtown Los Angeles.

Careers

We work closely with students, graduates and employers to support successful career goals and outcomes. Our overall placement rate is consistently strong, with 94 percent of our JD class employed within 10 months after graduation.

Earning a certificate in Media and Entertainment Law in addition to your JD degree gives you the insights and practical skills to succeed in legal practice relating to film, television, communications, digital media and the internet, copyright and trademark, music, sports, and much more. It also offers you a credential that demonstrates your specialized training in this exciting area of the law.

You may concurrently earn multiple certificates offered by USC Gould. Some courses count toward more than one certificate.

Certificate Requirements

To earn the certificate, you must take at least 21 units of mandatory courses, core electives and other electives as outlined below:

11 units from the Mandatory Courses

At least 4 units from the Electives: Skills, Clinical

No more than 4 units counted toward the certificate may be taken CR/D/F. The Entertainment Law Practicum does not count against the 4-unit limit.

Our Media and Entertainment Law courses emphasize the importance of acquiring both strong legal skills and familiarity with business concepts. The curriculum features a combination of lecture-style and skill-based courses taught principally in a workshop format. The courses go beyond the doctrinal and policy-oriented offerings in a traditional curriculum to provide you with experiential training that prepares you for practice. You also have the option of enrolling in electives through the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Mandatory Courses

Business Organizations

Intellectual Property or Copyright, Trademark and Related Rights

Taxation

Electives: Substantive Law

Advanced Copyright

Antitrust

Art Law

The Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology

Communications Law: Internet, Television and Other Media

Entertainment Law

Entertainment Unions and Guilds

First Amendment

Information Privacy Law

Intellectual Property Licensing

Legal and Business Issues in the Digital Age

Venture Capital and Emerging Companies

Venture Capital Law and Finance

Electives: Skills, Clinical (at least 4 units required)

Business Planning: Structuring and Financing a New Enterprise

Contract Drafting, Analysis and Negotiation

Contract Drafting and Strategy

Contract Negotiation and Strategy

Copyright Law in Practice

Counseling the Startup

Deal Structure, Strategy and Negotiation

Deals

Digital Media Transactions

Entertainment Law in Practice

Entertainment Practicum

Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic

Intellectual Property Litigation

Music Law in Practice

Sports Law in Practice

Technology Transactions

Television and Digital Media: Business and Production Issues

Topics in Entertainment Law: Entertainment Dealmaking

Topics in IP: Intellectual Property Litigation

Trademark Law in Practice

Video Game Law in Practice

Electives: USC School of Cinematic Arts

The Business of Representation

Digital Technologies and the Entertainment Industry

Entertainment Marketing in Today's Environment

Feature Film Financing and the Studio System

Seminar in Motion Picture Business

The Television Industry: Networks, Cable and the Internet

The World of the Producer

Not all courses are offered every year.

Other courses at USC Gould or other schools at USC or other universities may count as electives or may substitute for mandatory courses with approval from the associate dean for Academic Affairs.

I really like the practical classes that I have been able to take. In my favorite class, we've been dealing with a very hands-on hypothetical start-up. We focus on a fictitious studio from conception to creating its legal entity to the release of a slate of movies. We reviewed financing as well as domestic and foreign distribution agreements, negotiated and drafted documents, and learned how to use those agreements to secure initial funding from banks.